Process of treating air.



D. E. LEVINGSTON.

PROCESS OF TREATING MR} APPLICATIONFILED SEPT. 12. 1914.

1,1 99,398 Y j I Patented Spt. 26, 1916.

witnesses.

IlNlTED STA'lEh PATENT @FFEQE.

DELBERT E. LIVINGSTON, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES 1P. DANIEL, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

IROCESS O F ".EBEATING AIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latcnted Sept. 26, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DnLBnn'r E. LIVING- STON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of lVyandotte and State of Kansas, have invented a certain ne r and Improved Process of Treating Air, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to treat atmospheric air with a view to rendering it more effective for uses in which. a high percentage of moisture is a detriment, and in which its value is proportional to its capacity to supply oxygen; and the invention consists in a certain procedure whereby the percentage of moisture is greatly lowered and the capacity of the treated air to supply oxygen is materially increased.

Air treated in accordance with the present invention simulates natural conditions of atmospheric air encountered in certain locations and recognized by the medical profes sion as favoring physical recuperation from pulmonary diseases. The inherent conditions of air treated in accordance with this invention are also recognized as favoring certain industrial processes relating to the metallurgical arts.

In carrying out the invention, the essential conditions to be produced in treatment of the air are heating the air to a very high temperature, preferably while under several atmospheres of pressure and while confined to prevent relieving its tension or pressure; then while malntaming its condition of heat and tension, delivering it into a vertically elongated container in which it is adapted to stratify; and then drawing off or permitting the escape of -the contents of the container at three diflerent levels, namely, an upper level, a low level, and an intermediate level by means .of controlled outlets preferably located at the top, at the bottom, and at about the middle of the vertical dimension of the container. The temperature to which the air is heated is considerably over 600 or 700? F., and inasmuch as pressure or tension in the body of air favors the full realization of the' objects to be attained, the temperature is partly attained by compression of the air (in several stages if desired) until it attains a temperature of about 600 or 7 00 F., after which the additional increase in temperature is preferably While not attempting to give physical or chemical theories explaining the phenomena that take place in the process, it is my opinion that by raising the pressure of the air, super-saturation takes place, and then by raising the body of air to the high temperature indicated, namely that attained by the direct application of heat to a body of air already standing at a temperature of from 600 to 700 F the moisture content becomes super-heated steam of such levity that it gathers largely in the upper stratum of air in the container and passes out through the uppermost vent, while any excess of nitrogen or other gaseous content that may amount to an impurity, will be most abundant in the lowest stratum. of the air delivered to the container, and that portion of the air which is of greatest purity or perhaps contains the most oxygen, will by its relative specific gravity gather in the intermediate stratum where it may be drawn off for such special purposes as itmay be particularly suited for. However this may be, I have found in practice that if atmospheric air with a predetermined measurement of contained moisture is treated in substantially the manner above outlined,

that portion thereof ultimately drawn from the intermediate "ent of the container measures a very material decrease in moisture content as compared with the surrounding atmosphere from which it was taken and appreciably excites combustion of a flame held in its presence, whereas air taken from the bottommost vent clearly depresses or even extinguishes combustion.

An illustrative embodiment of an apparatus adapted for carrying out the process is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a schematic representation of such an apparatus, and Fig. 9. is a sectional view through a suggested means of utilizing a portion of the treated air in developing a fuel suitable for use in the heater that is employed. J

3 and t represent the compressing and recompressing cylinders of a known type of air compressor adapted to take air from the surrounding atmosphere and deliver it into a pipe 6 at a temperature developed by compression of from 600 to 700 F,

7 represents a burner in a heating furnace 8 adapted to act upon the pipe to which air is fed by the compressor with a view to further increasing the temperature of the air while it is confined in the tank, and 9 is a tank or container vertically elongated so as to favor stratification of its contents and into which the pipe 6 delivers in front of a bafiie plate 12 to restrict gyratory or stirring action of he air as it enters. The container 9 has a top vent 1O controlled by a valve 11; a bottom vent 14 controlled by a valve 15; and an intermediate vent 16 controlled by a valve 17.

represents a burner that may be supplied with fuel through a pipe 26 and with a high grade of combustion supporting air through the pipe 19 having a valve 19 and leading from the container 9 to the fuel tank 20 so as to expel the contents of the latter through the feed pipe 21; said combustion supporting air pipe also having a branch 23 controlled by valve 23 and adapted to supply air to the 'mixed pipe 243, and thence to I the pipe 24.-

claim: I 1. The process of treating atmospheric air which consists in heating the air to be treated, to a high temperature, and raising its inherent pressure, then. delivering the air thus heated and without material loss of pressure into a stratifying container, and then drawing off from a high, an intermediate and a low level of said stratifying container, separate portions of the resultant contents thereof.

2. The process of treating atmospheric air which consists in heating the air to be treated, to a high temperature, while confining it against expansion, then delivering the air thus heated and without materially relieving its compression, into a stratifying container, and then drawing off from a high, .an intermediate and a low level of said stratifying container, separate portions of the resultant contents thereof.

The process of treating atmospheric air which consists in compressing the air to be treated sufficiently to raise its degree of moisture saturation, and heating the air to high temperature While maintaining its compression, transferring the heated air to avertically elongated container without ma terial reduction in its tension, and then permitting a restricted discharge of the resultant contents of said receiver, at an upper, a lower, and an intermediate outlet therein. In witness, whereof, I have signed this specification this 5th day of September,.

1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DELBERT E. LIVINGSTON.

Witnesses: SALLIE CREASON, CHARLES P. DANIEL. 

